Catalyzing Green Transformation: The Impact of Key Mechanisms in Driving Maritime Agents Towards Green Innovation Adoption

This article delves into the instrumental role of key mechanisms driving agents’ behavior in catalyzing the green transformation of an industry value chain through collaborative innovation adoption. Environmental challenges put pressure on several industries to make a move towards greener business trajectories. Some sectors are more challenged than others given the way their respective industry is structured, its key players’ characteristics and actions, as well as the competitive landscape. Critical industry features include the role of dominant players in the competitive landscape, policy regulation mechanisms, and the industry rate of innovation. In this context, we assess the incentives and barriers for agents to participate and collaborate when embarking on the green transition considering the case of the asset-heavy maritime industry. We conduct a comprehensive case study, incorporating in-depth interviews, engaging in discussion rounds, and participating in panel debates and webinars with key stakeholders along the maritime value chain. Based on the thematic analysis of our interviews, we provide an empirically grounded System Dynamics (SD) Casual loop diagram (CLD). The model captures the key mechanisms driving agents’ green innovation adoption process, incorporating both positive and negative feedback loops to reflect learning processes in the innovation adoption process.